Previous Trips Gallery

Last Updated (Friday, 08 January 2010 13:24) Written by Administrator Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:26

 Kauai & Badger Football in Honolulu - November 30 - December 8, 2009

After a long flight delay in Los Angeles, our group finally arrived in Lihue on the Hawaiian island of Kauai around 3 a.m., instead of 9 p.m., but we were greeted with a lei just the same. We spent 4 nights at the beautiful Marriott Resort in Kauai.  We toured the Waimea Canyon, visited a Coffee plantation, and in general saw the southwestern part of the island on our first day. After a free day where people toured the island on their own, we toured together and visited the Fern Grotto, Kilohana Plantation and an exceptional show at Smith’s Luau.

Friday we took an afternoon flight to Honolulu and checked into the Marriott Waikiki. Many in our group arose early Saturday morning to tour the city and take in Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. Then, after an in-hotel tailgate on the 24th floor beach facing suite, our group headed off to the Football game to watch the Badgers defeat the Rainbows!

After two more leisurely days, we ended our stay in Hawaii with a dinner cruise and then it was off to the airport for a red eye flight home. Due to a blizzard in the Midwest we were diverted from Madison to Chicago and had to take  a bus back to Madison.  Some of us extended our stay in Madison a night or two due to the snow- what a way to come back to Wisconsin winter!  Hawaii had perfect weather the entire time we were there- it did rain some places but not where we were and they recorded some of the highest surf ever on Oahu!

“Tulip Time in Holland” - April 10-19
 
Sunny skies and nice spring temperatures greeted our group throughout our trip.  And, yes, we saw spectacular tulips at the world famous Keukenhof Park.  But in addition we were also treated to a private tour of Flora Holland auction in Naaldwijk which is more spectacular than Aalsmeer (where most travelers visit).  By staying in The Hague we had the opportunity to not only visit many sites in this small country, but also to dine at some wonderful restaurants near our hotel…a real treat.  And of all our stops, I think people on the trip would agree that Bruges would definitely be worth a re-visit.  At the end of our trip, the river boat provided an excellent time to relax and enjoy the sites along the way including the most popular Dutch Windmills.


The Ukraine - May 22-June 4
 
The Ukraine is an emerging destination for travel.  Our guides Ally and Natasha provided us with so much information on the new Ukraine…much of which struggles with its newly acquired independence.  The eastern half of the country needs infrastructure and upgrading. I would guess that Odessa and Sevastopol will become very popular tourist destinations soon.  We all enjoyed our visit at Yalta to see where Europe was divided up after WWII. We traveled north on the Kneiper River to see the Soviet influence being replaced by modern architectural buildings.  While on board, our guides provided us with programs from politics to the Ukrainian language…they were such fun to be around.  As we got closer to Kyiv we could see more prosperous farms and villages and could better understand the needs of this country.  I think all on the trip will agree that they learned a great deal about this area’s history and heritage, plus we enjoyed our off-boat tours. Lest you think it was all educational, we made some wonderful friendships with our fellow English speaking traveling partners who joined us from Norway, New York, California, Michigan, and our Iranian friends from the East Coast.

Thailand - June 13-29
 
Yes, it was a long flight…but well worth it since we were able to spend two weeks here.  Thailand can easily be called one of the most friendly countries to visit in the world.  We learned about their faith and saw many Budhas as well as the personal shrines in the yards or on the apartment balconies.  We took long boats to several flower, food and trade markets; visited traditional Thai villages; traveled the Bridge over the River Kwai and learned its terrible history; saw several cultural dance shows with dinner; learned about their silk and rice industries; rode elephants and learned about their use for labor; and visit several of their revered king’s palaces and saw his beautiful royal barges.  As we headed north to visit ruins of Wats (temples), we saw the beauty of this country unfold.  We stayed at the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Myranmar (Burma) and Laos share their border with the Mai Kong River.  And, finally, we had a wonderful time sampling all the Thai food at the many beautifully presented buffets...and we found that many of their foods were quite mildly spiced and tasty.  Thailand definitely is a destination to add to your must see countries in Asia.



Charleston and Savannah – March 25-April 1, 2009

What a great time of the year to visit Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. The flowers were blooming and spring had arrived with temperatures in the 60-70 degree range.  In Charleston we found the local cuisine and restaurants to be outstanding and the southern plantation visits most interesting. We also visited and toured the only tea plantation in the US!  Naturally we visited Ft Sumter National Monument where the first shots of the Civil War were fired and some of the group toured the Yorktown aircraft carrier anchored in the Charleston Harbor.

After leaving Charleston we did a short stop in Hilton Head for lunch enroute to Savannah. What a beautiful area that is and some great golf courses!  Once in Savannah we did city tour of many of the historic district homes and the City Market. We also were in town during the Savannah Music Festival and several of us took in some great concerts while in town. The group toured Tybee Island and its light house, as well as Fort Pulsaki, made famous in the Civil War. Our time in Savannah ended with a river cruise dinner and the first rain of our 7 days began to fall. We highly recommend a trip in the spring to these two southern cities!

Chile and Argentina and the Patagonia – January 29 - February 11, 2009

Of course there is no better time of the year to travel to the southern hemisphere than during January- February and in 2009 we did just that. Our twelve days in Chile and Argentina were spectacular and left the entire group wanting to return to see more of these countries. We began with an overnight flight to Santiago, Chile and two days in this area of Chile. We traveled to Vina Del Mar (wine by the sea) and did indeed visit a beautiful winery, had a great lunch by the Pacific Ocean and spent some time in the old port city of Valparaiso and its steep funiculars.

Then we flew to Punta Arenas, the southernmost airport in Chile at the straits of Magellan!  One night in this quaint town and our adventure in the Patagonia began as we traveled by bus and boat to see penguins, and the famous Torres del Paine national park near Puerto Natales. The park is a jewel and our hotel windows all faced the park and it was just like a picture every day! After viewing some glaciers in the park we departed for El Calafate, Argentina for another three nights. Near the border crossing, our bus encountered a herd of wild horses galloping across in front of our bus. We also saw the real grazing area of the southern Patagonia with sheep and cattle everywhere.

Upon arrival in the backpacking and tourist town of El Calafate, we set out two days on boats to see some of the world’s largest glaciers and ice fields that encompass 1/3 of the frozen fresh water in the world. Our hotel was perched above the town and Calafate has lots of shops and restaurants to keep any traveler occupied and scenery to match!

The final two days of our trip included a 1700 mile flight to Buenos Aires where we of course saw a Tango show, visited Eva Peron’s grave, and has a late dinner in the Reocleta district of the city. Our last day we were privileged to have the former Argentine minister of agriculture take us to the county to see the crops and cattle. We had a wonderful posada lunch (lamb and beef) cooked on the open fire with plenty of Malbec wine to savor as we had an outdoor dinner with a wonderful farm family. Then it was off to the airport for our return to cold Wisconsin!  We returned with great memories of great Malbec and Carmanera wines (only found in these countries) and several great meals of delicious lamb and of course photos of some of the most gorgeous scenery in the world!